People & Inspiration

The Six Fix: How Man Of Swag Anthony Bourdain Does The Daddy-Daughter Thing

The comforting satisfaction of a father's love and attention may sometimes be enlikened to getting your warm, favorite food in your belly or at least knowing you're coming home to it. Anthony Bourdain's frequently honest and tender musings about his nine-year-old daughter, Ariane, in some way seem to soften those jagged edges he's so well-known for as a writer chef and food personality.

Bourdain once mentioned to The Guardian in 2013, "Ariane has me wrapped around her finger. All I can realistically hope for is that she feels loved. That she has high self-esteem. And good martial-arts skills."

On being a father, he's even released a cookbook called Appetites in which he includes the dishes made by him that she enjoys. Here are a couple of ways in which we've spotted this celebrity chef uniquely unfold as a father.

1. He makes his daughter's yummy "baon" lunch for school somewhat of a spectacle to behold.

“She takes pride in showing up with stuff that other kids envy or are freaked out by, so I send her to school with grilled octopus.” (Source)

2. He didn’t force her to “try” certain types of food, he was eating interesting stuff with her.

“Eat interesting foods in front of her. If he or she wants to eat grilled cheese, fine. Let them discover it on their own and it will be their own little triumph rather than something you convinced them to do.” (Source)

3. He told Barack Obama when he was POTUS about his daughter and asked if America was going to be okay.

“He didn’t hesitate. He said, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ I’m certainly dismayed by what I’m seeing now. There’s a lot of ugliness of a kind I’ve never seen in my lifetime, or heard in my lifetime. But, look, I’m a romantic. I’m hopeful.” (Source)

A post shared by anthonybourdain (@anthonybourdain) on May 23, 2016 at 7:22am PDT

4. He began cooking with Ariane from the time she was 7 years old.

"She’s a very harsh critic. You know, I put a tiny tiny little bit of nutmeg in my macaroni and cheese and she did not enjoy that. She called me on it right away. She’s got a very acute palate and she catches me if I over-salt something." (Source)

A post shared by anthonybourdain (@anthonybourdain) on Aug 10, 2016 at 6:09pm PDT

5. He literally takes her along with him to higher places. Anthony and Ariane often go hiking up the Palisades and it's become somewhat of a Father's Day tradition. Nothing like getting lost with Dad amidst the rocks and trees.

A post shared by anthonybourdain (@anthonybourdain) on Jun 19, 2016 at 12:38pm PDT

6. He claims his day usually ends once his daughter is finally asleep. Now with a little more time to get some rest, "Tony" as those close to him call him, manages to wind down earlier at night. He considers the day done when Ariane gets some shut-eye.